Bell 47G 5 N6203N

Summary

On 9 June 2016 at about 21:30 local time, a Bell 47G 5 registered N6203N, operated by Hendrickson Flying Service Inc, was involved in an accident near Laureles, Texas, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

9 June 2016 at 21:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Laureles, Texas, United States

Coordinates

26.1092, -97.4942

Aircraft

Bell 47G 5

Registration

N6203N

Category

Helicopter

Year built

1969

Engines

1

Operator

Hendrickson Flying Service Inc

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Laureles → Laureles

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN16LA213

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's failure to apply additional engine power when he applied collective input, which led to a loss of rotor speed and the exceedance of the helicopter’s performance capability.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot reported that, while conducting a spray pass, he pulled on the helicopter's collective, and the rotor speed dropped. He lowered the collective, applied maximum throttle, and pulled on the collective again, but the rotor speed continued to drop. He then attempted to land in a nearby yard, but the tailboom struck a tree, and the helicopter then flipped on its right side. A witness, who was an experienced agricultural helicopter pilot, reported that he had flown with the accident pilot for about 12 hours in the accident helicopter, which was a piston engine-powered helicopter that did not have a throttle governor, to familiarize him with managing the throttle. He stated that the accident pilot's previous experience was in turbine-powered helicopters that had a throttle governor. The witness stated that he was in the field watching the accident pilot perform spraying operations. The pilot made a downwind pass in the field in a tight area. He said that, when the pilot pulled up to climb above the trees at the end of the pass, he heard the engine "bog down" and that he thought that the pilot had pulled the collective without adding throttle. A postaccident examination of the helicopter and a test run of the engine revealed no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have prevented normal operation. Based on this evidence, it is likely that the pilot failed to apply engine power when he applied collective input, which resulted in a loss of rotor speed and an exceedance of the helicopter's performance capability.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.